Washing machine dump valve



March 21, 1967 R. E- EDWARDS WASHING MACHINE DUMP VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1964 77/ V6335 5 0 x32; BY Maw, 61% M ATTORNEYS March 21, 1967 R. E. EDWARDS WASHING MACHINE DUMP VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fiied June 5, 1964 "ml/A laarwluulm INVENTOR 77/1 52: .5. Zbywwras Zwvugfl/I 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,310,063 WASHING MACHINE DUMP VALVE Rivers Edwin Edwards, 4103 14th Ave. W., Bradenton, Fla. 33505 Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,828 7 Claims. (Cl. 137-216) This invention relates to dump valves and in particular to dump valves for rapidly discharging water from a clothes washing machine by gravity.

It is the broad object of this invention to provide an improved construction for a dump valve of the general type disclosed in Patent No. 2,987,905, issued June 13, 1961. The dump valve described in that patent is designed to eliminate the use of a pump for emptying the washer of water. This is a desirable feature because the pumps commonly used for this purpose can become soap-locked by an excessive amount of suds in the waste water, or the suds can cause overloading of the electric motor used to drive the pump. In either case emptying time is prolonged, and this can be a serious disadvantage in a commercial undertaking such as a coin-operated laundry.

The dump valve which is the subject of the aforementioned patent effectively eliminates a water discharge pump by providing a specially designed enclosed chute through which the waste water flows by gravity from the washer tub. This arrangement is subject to improvement, however, in two respects. First, it does not provide for the retrieval or removal of small foreign objects such as buttons, pins, coins, earrings and the like which may be discharged from the washer along with the waste water. These may clog the permanent drain system to which the water is passed and, in some cases, it may be desirable to retrieve such foreign objects if they have value. Accordingly, it is a specific object of the present invention to provide a washer dump valve having a simple inexpensive readily accessible trap for small items and a water passageway through the valve which coacts with the trap to etfect the removal of the items from the stream without decreasing flow capacity.

A second respect in which the known dump valve is susceptible to improvement relates to the manner in which the water is discharged from the lower end of the valve. The known valve is designed to discharge into a drain by means of an open-topped, channel-like extension disposed immediately downstream of the valve closure member. The open-topped channel is similar to the spout of a pitcher and cannot be easily connected to an enclosed drain or to a hose, and therefore the arrangement is not satisfactory where it is desired to fiow the waste water from the washer directly to an enclosed drain. In some areas the use of an open drain trough in a coinoperated laundry is prohibited by law. Accordingly, it is another specific object of the present invention to provide a washer dump valve having a removable water-enclosing fitting at its discharge end for venting the water flow while maintaining it enclosed and for placing the valve in direct communication with a hose or the lke.

The invention will be further understood from the fo lowing detailed description taken with the drawings in which: I

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, of a washing machine fitted with a dump valve constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the dump valve of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the dump valve;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the dump valve;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, of part of the dump valve.

Referring to FIGURE 1 there is shown a horizontal drum type washing machine 10 employing a dump valve 12 connected to the bottom wall 14 of the washing compartment so as to discharge water by gravity from the machine 10 into an above-ground drain pipe 16. The machine is of conventional construction having an outer case 18 which rests on the fioor 20, a horizontal tumbler drum 22 rotatably mounted within the case 18 and a belt drive 24 at the rear for rotating the drum 22. Washer control dials 26 are mounted on top of the case 18, and a hinged door 28 is provided in the front of the case for permitting access to the drum 22. While only one machine 10 is shown, the arrangement is contemplated as including a'plurality of machines discharging into the common drain pipe 16.

As seen in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 the dump valve 12 has an elongated conduit-like body 30 having an upwardly facing inlet opening 32 at one end, a discharge and vent fitting 34 at its other end, a hinged valve door 36 at the junction of the body 30 with the fitting 34 and a trap 38 immediately upstream of the valve. In the construction illustrated the body 30 which has a straight central bore 40 of uniform cross section, is cast as a single piece, and the fitting 34, valve door 36 and trap 38 are cast separately and subsequently attached to the body 36. In its operative position, as seen in FIGURE 1, the valve 12 is disposed in an inclined position so that water will flow from the inlet end toward the discharge end.

The inlet end of the valve body 30 is formed by an enlarged inlet chamber 42 of non-uniform depth whose open upper end is provided with a peripheral fiange 44 which defines the upwardly facing inlet opening 32. The fiange 44 is provided with spaced vertical holes 46 for receiving bolts 48 which may be threaded into the bottom wall 14 of the washing compartment to secure the valve 12 thereto. The inlet chamber 42 is slightly offset in a horizontal direction from the longitudinal axis of the remainder of the body 36 and communicates through its downstream end with the bore 40 of the remainder of the body. The bottom wall of the chamber is continuous with and in the same plane as the bottom wall of the bore 46. The end of the chamber 42 opposite the bore 40 has an inclined wall 50 extending downwardly and inwardly from the flange 44 to the bottom wall. One side wall 52 is also inclined downwardly and inwardly and the opposite side wall 54, which is nearest the axis of the bore, is vertical. The flange 44 is slightly inclined with respect to the remainder of the body 38, and the side walls 52, 54 of the chamber are of greater height at their downstream ends with the result that the chamber 42 is deeper at its downstream end.

The intermediate portion of the valve body 30 is of uniform transverse cross section defined by parallel upper and lower walls and side walls which slope slightly upwardly and outwardly. At its downstream end the bore 40 of this portion expands laterally to form a discharge chamber 56 which is slightly olfset horizontally from the bore 40. The downstream end of this chamber 56 empties into the discharge and vent fitting 34 above the bottom wall thereof through an opening 58 which lies in an upwardly and rearwardly sloping plane. The periphery of the opening is provided with flange 60, the surface of which forms a valve seat for the hinged valve door 36.

The discharge and vent fitting 34 is a relatively large, hollow conoidal member having an outwardly extending inclined flange 62 along a portion of its larger, or inlet, end. This flange 62 engages the flange 60 outwardly of the valve seat region of the latter and is secured thereto by bolts 64. Above and forwardly of the valve seat, the conoidal wall of the fitting 34 is cut away to form a large vent 66 and to provide space for movement of the valve door 36. The larger end of the fitting 34 is considerably larger than the opening 58 so that turbulence created as the water is discharged from the opening 58 does not result in splashing or overflow of water from the vent 66. The rear, or discharge, end of the fitting 34 terminates in a short tubular extension 68 of about the same cross sectional area as the opening 58. The outside diameter of the extension 68 is dimensioned to be received within the bore of a standard rubber or plastic hose 70, for example 2-inch nominal size. As shown in FIGURE 1, the hose 70 is secured to the extension 68 by a clamp '72 and leads into the above-ground drain pipe 16 which conducts the water from a plurality of machines 10 to a permanent drain system. As already mentioned, it is desirable, and in some localities it is required by law, that the water from washing machines in coin-operated la'undries and the like he conducted to the permanent drain system by means of an enclosed conduit.

Referring to FIGURES 2, 3 and 6 it will be seen that the valve door 36 consists of a flat plate 74 provided with a pair of transversely spaced, upwardly and rearwardly extending arms 76 which are pivotable about a transverse pin 78 located above and slightly forwardly of the discharge end of the body 30. The pin 78 has its ends mounted in a pair of transversely spaced ears 80 which extend upwardly from the upper wall of the discharge chamber 56. The side of the valve door 36 facing the discharge opening 58 is provided with a pad 82 of resilient material which forms a seal with that portion of the flange 60 adjacent the opening 58. The pad 82 is normally compressed between the valve door 36 and the flange 60 by the action of two spiral torsion springs 84- mounted coaxially on the pin 78 and having opposite ends engaging the top of the body 30 and the rear surface of the valve door 36.

The mechanism for opening the valve door 36 against the force of the springs 84 includes a solenoid 86 fixed to the top of the body 30 and having a plunger 88 extending longitudinally of the body 30 toward valve door 36. A link 90 is pivoted at one end to the free end of the plunger and at its other end to the upper end of a lever arm 92 which is integral with the valve door 36. As seen in FIG- URE 2 the lower end of the lever arm 92 extends from the rear face of the valve door between the pivot arms 76 and between the springs 84.

The enlarged discharge chamber 56 of the valve body 30 is provided with the trap 38 for small articles, such as buttons, pins and coins, which may be carried into the body 30 with the water. The trap 38 is constructed of an open-topped, box-like housing provided with a peripheral flange 94 which is secured by screws 96 to the bottom wall of the discharge chamber 56. As seen in FIGURES and 6 the trap 38 is slightly smaller than the horizontal dimension of the discharge chamber 56 and has side walls which slope slightly inwardly. In depth, the trap 38 is of somewhat greater dimension than the discharge chamber 56.

Upstream of the trap 38 one of the side walls of the body 30 is provided with a nipple 98 which communicates with the bore 40. When the dump valve is installed on a washing machine 10, the hose which normally leads from the water control switch assembly (not shown) of the machine to the drain screen housing (not shown), is removed from the latter and clamped over the nipple 98.

In use the flanged inlet end of the dump valve is attached to the lowermost point of the washing compartment as shown in FIGURE 1, and appropriate electrical leads are attached to the solenoid. After the tubular extension 68 on the conoidal fitting 34 has been placed in communication with the pipe 16 by means of the hose 70, the washing machine 10 can be drained by energizing the solenoid 86. Current flowing through the coil of the solenoid 86 causes the plunger 88 to move readwardly and thereby pull back on the top of the pivot arm 92 which is attached to the valve door 36. The valve door 36 pivots counterclockwise as viewed in FIGURE 6 thereby permitting gravity flow of water from the opening 58 in the body 36 into the fitting 34, through the hose and into the pipe 16.

The configuration and inclination of the inlet chamber 42 and bore 41 assure a rapid free flow of water and, in addition, reduce turbulence and direct the water flow downwardly in such a manner that heavy objects such as buttons, pins and coins settle out in the trap 38. After passing into the conoidal fitting 34, where the vent 66 assures a continued rapid free flow, the water is directed into the hose 70 for delivery to any desired location. In some systems it may be desirable to dump the water directly from the valve body 30 into an open trough, and in that event, the fitting 34 may be removed from the body 36. The trap 38 should be removed periodically to free it of foreign material, some of which may be of value. It will be apparent, for example, that in a coinoperated laundry the number of small items lost in the washers may be very high.

Modifications may be made to the construction described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not intended that the disclosed details be limiting except as they appear in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dump valve for a clothes washing machine comprising: a conduit-like valve body having top, bottom and side Walls defining an inlet opening at one end for attachment to a washing machine water compartment, said walls also defining a generally straight bore and discharge chamber at the other end of the body, said discharge chamber terminating at its downstream end in an outlet opening and having an aperture in its bottom wall; a hollow open-topped housing releasably secured to the exterior of said discharge chamber at the periphery of said aperture and defining a. trap communicating with said discharge chamber through said aperture for removing foreign objects from waste water passing through said valve body; movable closure means carried by said valve body at said outlet opening for alternately covering and uncovering said outlet opening to control flow of waste water through said valve body; an open-ended conduit-like fitting having an enlarged inlet end of substantially greater cross sectional area than said outlet opening and a reduced discharge end defined by a tubular extension adapted to be connected with an end of a hose or the like, said fitting being releasably attached at its larger end to the downstream end of said discharge chamber to receive waste water from said outlet opening, said fitting having a relatively large vent opening located generally above said outlet opening.

2. A dump valve as in claim 1 wherein said discharge chamber of said valve body is laterally offset a small amount from said bore and is of greater lateral dimension and of about the same vertical dimension as said discharge chamber.

3. A dump valve as in claim 2 wherein the walls of said valve body define an inlet chamber of greater lateral dimension than said bore and offset laterally a small amount from said bore in the same direction as discharge chamber, said inlet chamber having an open top which defines said inlet opening.

4. A dump valve as in claim 1 wherein said valve body is provided with an outwardly extending flange surrounding said outlet opening and wherein the larger end of said fitting is provided with a peripheral flange which engages the flange on said valve body.

5. A dump valve as in claim 4 wherein said fitting is generally conoidal in shape.

6. An elongated dump valve assembly for a clothes washing machine, said assembly being inclined when in use and comprising: a generally straight conduit-like portion having an upper inlet opening at one end, said inlet opening defining the inlet end of said assembly; means defining an outlet portion of said assembly, said means including a tubular end adapted to be connected with the end of a hose or the like and an enclosed section of larger transverse dimensions than said tubular end and said conduit-like portion, said section connecting said tubular end with the downstream portion of said conduit-like portion and having a relatively large vent therein at a location substantially above the junction with said conduit-like portion; movable closure means carried by said assembly at said junction; control means for moving said member between open and closed positions to thereby control the flow of waste water out of the washing machine; and means for removing solid objects from Waste water passing through said conduit-like portion so as to prevent clogging of said tubular end, said means comprising a trap depending from said valve assembly at a location upstream of said tubular end.

7. A dump valve assembly as in claim 6 wherein said section of enlarged transverse dimensions has a bottom wall extending below and generally parallel to the plane of said conduit-like portion and top and side Walls converging inwardly toward said bottom wall and defining therewith said tubular end.

References (Jilted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,301,055 4/1919 Humberger 68208 2,900,080 8/ 1959 Raczynski 6 8-208 2,987,905 6/1961 Braun 68208 3,066,691 12/1962 Lengyel 137-216 M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

W. R. CLENE, Assistant Examiner. 

6. AN ELONGATED DUMP VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR A CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE, SAID ASSEMBLY BEING INCLINED WHEN IN USE AND COMPRISING: A GENERALLY STRAIGHT CONDUIT-LIKE PORTION HAVING AN UPPER INLET OPENING AT ONE END, SAID INLET OPENING DEFINING THE INLET END OF SAID ASSEMBLY; MEANS DEFINING AN OUTLET PORTION OF SAID ASSEMBLY, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A TUBULAR END ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE END OF A HOSE OR THE LIKE AND AN ENCLOSED SECTION OF LARGER TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS THAN SAID TUBULAR END AND SAID CONDUIT-LIKE PORTION, SAID SECTION CONNECTING SAID TUBULAR END WITH THE DOWNSTREAM PORTION OF SAID CONDUIT-LIKE PORTION AND HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGE VENT THEREIN AT A LOCATION SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE JUNCTION WITH SAID CONDUITLIKE PORTION; MOVABLE CLOSURE MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ASSEMBLY AT SAID JUNCTION; CONTROL MEANS FOR MOVING SAID MEMBER BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS TO THEREBY CONTROL THE FLOW OF WASTE WATER OUT OF THE WASHING MACHINE; AND MEANS FOR REMOVING SOLID OBJECTS FROM WASTE WATER PASSING THROUGH SAID CONDUIT-LIKE PORTION SO AS TO PREVENT CLOGGING OF SAID TUBULAR END, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A TRAP DEPENDING FROM SAID VALVE ASSEMBLY AT A LOCATION UPSTREAM OF SAID TUBULAR END. 